During the keynote on the first day of Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui today, Qualcomm announced 3D Sonic Max, its newest ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. One of the key new features is that it"s 17 times larger than its predecessor. This should make it a lot easier to use, since there"s no way to feel a screen for the spot you"re supposed to scan, like there would be for a dedicated sensor.
Along with that, it can also scan two fingerprints at the same time. Qualcomm didn"t go into detail on this, such as why you would want to scan two separate fingerprints. It"s likely going to be an optional security feature, where two fingerprints are more accurate than one. The other key new feature, of course, is that it"s more accurate.
Qualcomm caught headlines last year for the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that shipped in the Snapdragon 855. What"s interesting about it is that it"s able to scan your fingerprint regardless of contaminants, such as if you"re hands are dirty or wet. This one will likely ship with the Snapdragon 865, which there will be more details on tomorrow.
Qualcomm sponsored the travel and accommodations for Neowin to attend Snapdragon Technology Summit.